Well just a quick question, but on vista i know there is a sleep mode and shutdown.
What is the best option, should i be putting it in sleep mode after i'm done using it...or just shut it down? or is there another setting i can't see??

When I switch my computer on in the morning I use standby throughout the day. And i'll power down completely in the evening when i'm finished. I find this better because I can save power by putting the PC in standby mode when i'm not at it but when I want to use it again it's up and running in 5 seconds instead of 20 seconds from complete shut off state.

I'll use my computer 20+ times a day and I don't think it's good for electronics to heat up then cool very often with start up, use for 15-30mins then a complete shutdown.

And all you gotta remember is that a computer in standby mode doesn't consume that much electricity. The only item inside the computer that remains 'live' is the RAM and that's it. Everything else switches off.